Well, if you’re saying it’s nonstandard usage, you’re right. Of course, you realize the same thing is true of many or most colloquialisms, right?

From a purely logical standpoint, “anymore” should mean precisely the opposite of “not anymore,” since (obviously) “not” simply negates the word it modifies. So, in that sense, I would say that’s exactly how the word works — but not how it’s normally used.

Well, except I’d never before seen anybody use it that way. So it’s neither standard nor any colloquial that I’d seen before, although I guess with the link to “positive anymore” there are some people who use it that way.

The positive use of “anymore” dates back to at least the 1800s. (Also, whether or not you or I have personally ever heard any given usage before is irrelevant to the question of whether or not it’s standard, right?)

In its entry for “anymore,” Merriam-Webster states that “in many regions of the United States the use of anymore…is quite common in positive constructions,” and that it is actually “now reported to be widespread in all speech areas of the United States except New England.”

With respect, since you’re now apparently keen to talk logic, “not anymore” wouldn’t make much sense either. It’s not the time element of your sentence that requires modifying. The opposite of the intended meaning would be “Not even implied shit can bite you in the ass any more.” What I assumed you originally meant was “Even implied shit can bite you in the ass now/these days/nowadays.” Even colloquialisms generally require some innate sense for them to be generally adopted.

I don’t know what you mean by “the intended meaning.” Whose intent are we talking about? Because if it’s my intent (and since I made the assertion, it is — right?) then your revised sentence fails to correctly express what I was saying. Well, look. If you reject my logic (fair enough) then I’ll fall back on the fact that people have been using the positive anymore for a hundred years or more, and it’s apparently common usage fairly widely. So to say the word “anymore” doesn’t work that way doesn’t square with empirical evidence to the contrary.

That was syncrotic’s complaint. I wasn’t complaining. I was querying your clarification. I accept there’s a colloquial usage of a positive “anymore” that’s widespread in places other than those I’ve been in. That fact alone doesn’t make it logical. Neither is your clarification:

From a purely logical standpoint, “anymore” should mean precisely the opposite of “not anymore,” since (obviously) “not” simply negates the word it modifies.

“Even implied shit can bite you in the ass not anymore” makes no sense, although I can elicit possible intended meanings from it. Accurately guessing what someone means isn’t synonymous with a usage working. I can guess what people think they mean when they say something is “very unique”. That doesn’t make it logical.

Ok, I think we’re talking about two different things. You’re right, language isn’t like math — you can’t stick a negative operator into a sentence wherever you like and sound literate. But that has to do with syntax which is (I think) a matter of convention, rather than logic (which is immutable.) But you’re welcome to see things differently.

OK — one last point, since I’m sure this is starting to bore you. “I will die not today” sounds weird. “I will die. Not today.” sounds fine. That’s just syntax. The period does’t change the logical structure of the assertion. It exists merely as a convention. It’s just closer to the way people normally write and speak in English, but not universally. In other languages, the word order would be different. That has to do with syntax. But regardless of language, A=A. That is a matter of logic, and is true in every language and culture. Anyway, IMHO.

Um, pretty sure the thing that might look like a penis is not the intended illusion. Remember the “rabbit/duck illusion”? You see either a rabbit or a duck depending on how you look at it (or if you turn it around, or whatever the case may be). The more well-known one I think is a beautiful girl that turns into an old witch depending on how you look at it.

In this image, you see either her sitting in the car with her legs crossed, or her sitting in her car with her legs spread open (and wearing a sparkly one-piece dance costume apparently), depending on how you look at it. So clearly that’s the intended illusion (whether it was a photo shot with that in mind or not – it seems to just be a photo from an Asian car show and someone spotted that later).

I think the spread legs thing is the, er, intended unintended illusion but it does kind of look like a metallic penis coming out of her shoulder too. I’m afraid I have the kind of mind that can start to project weirdness onto anything if I look long enough.

These are not so much illusions but merely bad photography like when a photographer takes a shot of someone and it looks like there is a tree sticking out of the top of their head. That is bad form unless there actually is a tree sticking out their head. Then it is time for an aspirin and the really big tweezers.